Executive Support Officer - Mayor & Deputy Mayor

E ngā iwi, e ngā karangatanga huri noa i te motu, tēnei te mihi atu ki a koutou katoa. He īnoi tēnei ki a koe. Tono mai ki tētahi tūnga ki te Kaunihera o Ōtautahi

This is a unique opportunity to work at the heart of local government, providing trusted support to the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Christchurch City Council.

The role provides a front-row seat to civic leadership and the opportunity to contribute to outcomes that shape our city and community.

About the team | Ko te rōpū nei

The Office of the Mayor and Chief Executive sits at the heart of Christchurch City Council, supporting the leadership of the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Chief Executive.

Timely, effective and well-coordinated support is essential to enabling the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and elected members to focus on the issues, relationships and decisions that have the greatest impact on Christchurch and Banks Peninsula.

As part of an evolving support model, this newly established role will provide dedicated executive support to the Mayor and Deputy Mayor, helping them deliver their governance, civic leadership, community and representative responsibilities.

The role will also provide day-to-day leadership and coordination to the Councillor Support Officer, helping ensure elected members receive a seamless, responsive and professional service.

About the role | Ko te mahi nei

Reporting to the Director, Office of the Mayor and Chief Executive, you'll act as the primary operational support partner to the Mayor and Deputy Mayor.

Key Responsibilities Include

• Managing complex diaries, workflows and information to help the Mayor and Deputy Mayor focus on their highest priorities.
• Triaging and coordinating requests for meetings, engagements and commitments.
• Coordinating correspondence and ensuring responses are timely, accurate and of a consistently high standard.
• Preparing and coordinating briefings, reports, presentations and background information.
• Monitoring actions, commitments and key decisions to ensure timely follow-through.
• Building trusted relationships across Council and with elected members and external stakeholders.
• Providing day-to-day leadership and coordination of elected member support services through the Councillor Support Officer.
• Identifying opportunities to improve systems, workflows and processes, ensuring information reaching the Mayor and Deputy Mayor is timely, concise and relevant.

This is a role that requires sound judgement, discretion and political awareness, together with the confidence to navigate competing priorities in a complex and highly visible environment.

About you | Ko Koe Tēnei

You'll be an experienced executive support professional who thrives on complexity, builds credibility quickly and enjoys creating order in a busy environment.

To Be Successful, You Will Bring

• Significant executive support experience, ideally supporting a Chief Executive, senior executive, Minister or similarly complex leadership environment.
• Exceptional organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple competing priorities.
• Demonstrated success improving systems, processes and ways of working.
• Highly developed written and verbal communication skills, with exceptional attention to detail.
• Strong stakeholder management skills and the ability to build trusted relationships across all levels.
• Political astuteness and sound judgement when handling sensitive information and complex issues.
• The highest levels of professionalism, confidentiality and discretion.
• Experience leading or coordinating the work of others would be advantageous.

What's in it for you? He aha ngā hua ki a koe?

This is an opportunity to work at the centre of Christchurch City Council's civic leadership, supporting the Mayor and Deputy Mayor to deliver on priorities that make a real difference for our city and communities. You'll enjoy a varied and meaningful role, exposure to senior leaders and elected members, and the chance to help shape how support services are delivered across the Office of the Mayor and Chief Executive.

Want To Be Involved In Shaping Your City? Here At The Council We Know Our Strength Comes From Our People, Working Together As One Team To Create Results. When You Join Us, You're Getting Involved First Hand, And Contributing To Crafting The Christchurch Community. You Will Also Benefit From

• Access to training programmes, workshops, and development opportunities
• Flexible working arrangements - including adjustable start and finish times. As this role works closely with the Mayor & Deputy Mayor, it is primarily office-based, with occasional work-from-home flexibility when appropriate. Option to purchase extra leave.
• Collaboration - exposure to wider areas of the organisation
• Benefits - a variety of benefits for Council staff from health schemes to retail discounts.

If this sounds like an interesting opportunity, you think you have what it takes and want to get involved in shaping our City then please apply today.

Additional Information | Ko ētahi atu kōrero

At the Christchurch City Council, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways.

We understand that recruitment processes can be challenging. If you require any accessibility support to apply for this role, please reach out to us at [email protected]

• Hours of work - Full-time
• Position - Permanent
• Location - This position is primarily based at Te Hononga, Christchurch City Council Civic Offices - 53 Hereford Street
• Salary - The salary band for this position goes from $83,453 to $92,726 per annum based on a 40 hour week. Starting salaries will be based on knowledge, skills and experience the successful candidate brings to the role, and relativities both, within the immediate team and in the broader organisation for the same or similar roles.
• Closing Date - Sunday 1st November 2026

Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and interviews may take place prior to the close date. This means we reserve the right to close a job ad before the advertised close date.

To view the full position description, please click here